Balloon power turbine toy engine

ABSTRACT

A TOY VEHICLE OPERATED BY PNEUMATIC POWER FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROPELLING THE TOY FORWARDLY, AND COMPRISING A WHEELED VEHICLE UPON WHICH THERE IS SECURED AN INFLATED BALOON FROM WHICH COMPRESSED AIR IS FORCED AGAINST A TURBINE CONNECTED THROUGH A GEAR TRAIN TO THE DRIVING WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE.

Oct. 19, 1971 H. ALLEN I 3,613,303

BALLOON POWER TURBINE TOY ENGINE Filed Nov; 18, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Oct. 19, 1971 H. ALLEN BALLOON POWER TURBINE TOY ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Nov. 18, 1968 United States Patent Oflice Patented Oct. 19, 19713,613,303 BALLOON POWER TURBINE TOY ENGINE Herman Allen, 2020 DaronPlace, Flint, Mich. 48505 Filed Nov. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 776,522 Int. Cl.A63h 17/00 US. Cl. 46-206 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toyvehicle operated by pneumatic power for the purpose of propelling thetoy forwardly, and comprising a wheeled vehicle upon which there issecured an inflated balloon from which compressed air is forced againsta turbine connected through a gear train to the driving wheels of thevehicle.

This invention relates generally to Wheel toys.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a toy vehiclewhich is pneumatically powered so to propel the vehicle for travel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pneumaticallypowered toy vehicle which includes an inflated balloon secured to thevehicle, the balloon delivering compressed air to a turbine that drivesan engine to which the drive wheels of the vehicle are attached.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a balloonpowered turbine toy engine wherein the balloon may be reinflated aftereach successive use of the toy.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a balloon poweredturbine toy engine which is simple in design, inexpensive tomanufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use and efiicient inoperation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the present invention showing a toyautomobile with the balloon power device incorporated therewith;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the engine as viewed from the rear;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the engine;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view thereof;

FIG. is a side elevation view of the air lock valve and mouthpiece;

FIG. 7 is another view thereof; and

FIG. 8 is an end elevation view thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 10represents a balloon power turbine toy engine according to the presentinvention wherein there is a toy vehicle 11 which may represent anautomobile or any other wheeled vehicle and which includes a body 12mounted upon front wheels 13 and rear drive wheels 14.

The rear drive wheels 14 are mounted upon an axle or shaft 15, the shaftbeing engaged with the engine 16.

The engine 16 is connected to a power source which in the presentinvention comprises a balloon 17, shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing.

The balloon 17 comprises an inflatable bag of rubber including astretchable body 18 having a neck 19 that is fitted over a mouthpiece20. The bag may be enclosed within a fabric shroud 21 which limits theamount of infiation of the bag so to prevent breakage thereof. Theshroud 21 may be connected by means of cords extending from the neckthereof to a peripheral edge of the shroud, the shroud comprising agenerally semi-spherical element around the opposite end of the bag.

The mouthpiece comprises a tubular member having a relatively narrowerend 22 and a relatively wider end 23. The end 23 includes a radiallyoutwardly extending flange 24 over which the neck 19 of the balloon isfitted so to extend around the body of the end 23 thus securing theballoon thereto. An air lock valve 25 is formed intermediate theopposite ends of the mouthpiece 20, the air lock valve comprising arotatable cylinder within a housing, the cylinder having a transverseextending opening therethrough which may be aligned with a longitudinalopening extending through the longitudinal direction of the mouthpiece.The cylinder is connected to one end of a lever 26 which can be manuallypivoted to operate the air lock valve between an open and a closedposition. The end 22 of the mouthpiece is connected to one end of a tube27, the opposite end of the tube being adjacent a side of a turbinewheel 28 having radially extending teeth 29 of battle configuration onone side against which the end of the tube 27 is directed, and whichaccordingly receives a blast of compressed air from the balloon to makethe turbine Wheel rotate. The turbine wheel is mounted upon a shaft 30supported in the side plates 31 of the engine. The shaft has a gear 32mounted thereon which engages a first gear 33 upon shaft 34, which shaftcarries a gear 35 engaging a gear 36 on shaft 37 which carries a gear 38engaging gear 39 on the drive shaft 15 to which the drive wheels 14 aresecured.

In operative use, the mouthpiece is disconnected from the tube 27 and aperson or child blows into the mouthpiece to inflate the balloon. Theair lock valve is then closed and the mouthpiece is again connected tothe tube 27. The lever 26 is then pivoted to open the air passagethrough the air lock valve allowing compressed air to be delivered fromthe balloon against the teeth 29 upon the side of the turbine wheelwhich driving through the gear train causes the drive wheels 14 to turn.Thus the vehicle is propelled forwardly. By introduction of a clutchsystem, the wheel could be also made to travel rearwardly.

Thus there has been shown a balloon power turbine toy engine which couldbe used upon any type of toy vehicle whether it be used for travel uponland or upon water such as a toy boat.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it isunderstood that such changes will be within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as is defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A turbine powered toy, comprising:

a vehicle body having a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted thereon;

a compressed air powered turbine engine carried by said vehicle body;

a gear train operatively coupling said turbine engine to at least one ofsaid wheels of said toy for rotating said one wheel when said turbineengine is supplied with compressed air;

a balloon adapted to store compressed air;

a tubular member mounted on said vehicle body and having one enddisposed adjacent said turbine engine providing pneumatic communicationbetween said turbine engine and said balloon to power said turbineengine whereby said engine rotates said one wheel; and

a tubular mouthpiece removably mounted on said vehicle body with one endof the tubular mouthpiece being removably secured to the end of saidtubular member spaced from said turbine engine and the other end of thetubular mouthpiece receiving said balloon thereon.

2. A turbine powered toy as defined in claim 1, and including an airlock valve disposed in said tubular mouthpiece and movable betweenopened and closed positions for allowing compressed air from saidballoon to pass through said tubular mouthpiece to said turbine engine.

3. A turbine powered toy as defined in claim 2, wherein said turbineengine includes a turbine wheel having a plurality of radially extendingteeth, and one end of said tubular member is disposed adjacent saidteeth of said turbine wheel for delivering compressed air thereto.

4. A turbine powered toy as defined in claim 2, wherein said air lockvalve includes a cylindrical member within a housing, said cylindricalmember having a transverse opening therethrough which may be selectivelyaligned with a longitudinal opening extending through said tubularmouthpiece, a lever having one end secured to said cylindrical memberfor manually rotating said member between its opened and closedpositions, and the end of said tubular mouthpiece for receiving saidballoon having an outwardly extending flange formed therearound.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LOUIS G. MANCENE, PrimaryExaminer A. HEINZ, Assistant Examiner US. 01. X.R. 4644; 4-33

